Machine for driving piling in railroad beds



Dec. 8, 1936. k JONES 2,063,383

MACHINE FOR DRIVING FILING IN RAILROAD BEDS Filed June 28, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 4/ M 3/ 32 M M I" .55 25 4a g V 54 63 i 80 9 INVENTOR 7? 56 44 art 5m Jones.

I k \4 ATTORNEY Dec. 8, 1936. JONES I MACHINE FOR DRIVING FILING IN RAILROAD BEDS Fi'led'June 28, 1935 2 Sheets$heet 2 INVENTOR Marv yr; Jones.

A'r'ToRNEY Patented Dec. 8, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MACHINE FOR DRIVING PILING IN RAILROAD BEDS 11 Claims.

This invention relates to a machine for driving piles which may be ordinary ties vertically along the sides of a railroad bed to provide support for the track at places where the road bed is subjected to poor drainage conditions. The present practice is to drive the piles or ties with both on-track and off-track equipment, but the cost of handling either type of equipment makes pile driving an expensive operation. For example, present on-track equipment requires a complete train crew to move the equipment from the site of the work to a siding and back to the work every time it is necessary to clear the track for the train traffic. Also much time is lost from i the actual driving operations particularly when driving piles along main line tracks because the sidings are usually located at remote distances from the work site. For these reasons ofi-track equipment is more satisfactory but it 0 requires the erection of extensive trestling in order to provide support for the heavy driving equipment that is moved along the side of the track. This equipment also requires a train crew for moving it from one place of work to the next. This type of equipment is also not satisfactory since it is necessary to drive the piles or ties at one side of the track and then move the equipment to drive the piles or ties on the other side of the track. Driving first on one side and then on the other causes lateral shifting of the track and it is difiicult to retain it in original alignment.

It is therefore the principal object of the present invention to provide a pile or tie driv- J ing machine equipped for on-track operation and capable of being moved ofi track to provide clearance for the usual rail traffic.

Other important objects of the invention are to provide a machine which does not require a train crew; to provide a machine that is movable along the track under its own power progressively with the tie driving operations; to provide a machine that can be cleared in cuts or other narrow places in the right of way; and to provide a machine equipped for driving the piles or ties at both sides of the track progressively with movement of the machine therealong. y

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I have provided improved details of structure, the preferred form of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a pile or tie driving machine embodying the features of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar perspective view illustrating the method of spreading the pile or tie driving units in providing clearance to permit passage of a train along the track on which the machine is operating.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the track completely cleared for the passage of a train.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section through the machine, particularly illustrating the driving mechanism for moving the machine along the track.

Fig. 5 is a front elevational view of the base portion of the tie driving units illustrating their mounting upon the carrying truck.

Fig. 6 is a detail section on the line 66 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a detail section on the line 'l1 of Fi 4.

Fig. 8 is a cross section through one of the dollies and its supporting track employed in moving the units laterally away from the railroad track to provide the necessary clearance.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

I designates a portion of a railroad track extending through a cut or other place in the right of Way which is subject to such poor drainage conditions that the water soaks into the road bed 2. Then upon the passage of a train; the up and down movement of the rails 3 and 4 produces a slushing action of the water which soon disintegrates the road bed and causes settling of the track. In recent years it has been found that this slushing action can be eliminated by driving piles, in the form of ordinary ties, 5 and 6 perpendicularly into the road bed 2 in spaced alignment with the ends of each of the track ties 1. The piles or ties 5 and 6 hold the road bed in shape and provide sufficient support for the track to prevent slushing action and they also break through the crust or hard pan which tends to hold the water under the road bed. It is thus apparent when this hard pan or crust has been broken through, the water has free seepage into the sub-surface soil and the road; bed is retained in dry condition.

This principle has proven sound but as above pointed out, the driving of the ties has been made difiicult and expensive because of the present driving equipment and I have, therefore, provided an improved pile or tie driving mechanism now to be described.

8 and 9 designate a pair of driving units that are suspended along the sides of the track from a shake down truck ID that is operable on the rails 3 and 4. The truck includes front and rear located along the track, the wheels on one side.

of the truck are insulated from the axles as indicated at H. The sills I5 and I6 preferably comprise channels l8 arranged vertically with their flanges l9 and 26 in horizontalposition and extending inwardly of the sidesof the truck (Fig. '7). Welded to the free edges of the flanges |9 and 26 are reinforcing plates 2| to cooperate with the web portions 22 of the channels to form a hollow box-like structure which is amply strong to support the required load but is light enough to permit their ready removal from the ends of the axles when it becomes necessary to clear the track as later described. The ends of the sills project beyond the front and rear of the axles to form bearing portions 23 and. 24 for seating transverse beams 25 and 26 having their ends 21 and 28 projected beyond the ends of the ties to mount the driving units 8 and 9. The beams 25 and 26 are preferably of I-shape and arranged with their lower flanges 26 seated upon the ends of the truck sills and having upper flanges 30 forming seats for the base frames 3| and 32 of the respective units.

In order to prevent lateral shifting of the beams upon the truck sills and at the same time retain the truck sills from outward displacement on the ends of the axles I and I2, the beams 25 and 26 carry angle clips 33 and 34 welded to the bottom flanges of the beams and having leg truck sills by means of angle clips 31 and 38 Welded to the ends of the sills and having upwardly extending flanges 39 and 4|! for engaging the outer edges of the lower flanges 29 of the transverse beams as best shown in Fig. 4.

It is thus apparent that when the transverse beams 25 and 26 are seated on the sills with the flanges 35 and 36 in engagement with the sides thereof, the truck sills are tied together and retained from outward movement over the ends of the axles. It is also apparent that since the sills cannot move inwardly because of their stopping engagement with the flanged wheels the transverse beams are prevented from laterally shifting upon the truck sills. The transverse beams and truck sills thus form a substantially rectangular support structure which is readily demountable by lifting the beams off' of the sills and removing the sills l5 and I6 from off the projecting ends of the axles.

The base frames 3| and 32 each include parallel spaced beams 40 and 4|, separated by suitable spacers 42, and secured together by transverse bolts 43 extending therethrough to draw the longitudinal beams into rigid engagement with the spacers. The base frames thus described project from the respective ends of the truck and carry at their front ends tie driving mechanisms 44 and 45, including spaced vertical guide members 46 and 4'! for mounting weights 48 and 49. The weights 48 and 49 are raised to the top of the guide by means of hoisting drums 50 and 5| through flexible cables 52 and 53, connected to the weights and operating over crown pulleys 54 and 55 carried at the upper ends of the guides. The opposite ends of the cables are wound upon the drums 56 and 5| which are operated through suitable driving connections by power units 56 and 51, also carried by the respective base frames. The lower ends of the guides 44 and extend between the forward projecting ends of the beams 40 and 4| and are provided with depending portions 58 and 59 so that'the Weights 48 and 49 can be dropped to such a position that the upper ends of the ties 5 and 6 may be driven to a point substantially level with the bottom edges of the track ties I.

Also operable by one of the power units, for example, the unit 51, is a countershaft 59 that is rotatably mounted on the base support of the hoisting drum 5|, as best shown in Fig. 4. The shaft 59 carries a sprocket 59 aligning with a sprocket 60 on a countershaft 6| that has its ends journaled within suitable bearing openings 62 and 63 that are provided in the beams 40 and 4| of the base frame 32, the sprocket 60 being operated from the sprocket 59 by means of an endless chain 65 operating thereover.

The iner end of the countershaft 6| projects beyond the outer face of the beam 40 to mount a driving sprocket 66 which is removably keyed thereon for a purpose later described.

Removably fixed to the axle I2 at that side of the truck is a sprocket 61 which is operably connected with the sprocket 66 by means of a chain 68. It is thus apparent that when the power shaft 58 is operated by the power unit the shaft 6| is rotated through the chain and sprocket connection to drive the sprocket 66, which in turn drives the sprocket 6! through the chain 68 to cause movement of the machine in a forward direction along the track.

In order to provide for reverse movement of the machine, the beams 40 and 4| of the base frame 32 carry a reverse countershaft 69 that has its ends journaled in parallel relation with the shaft 6| and carries a spur gear 10 meshing with a spur gear H on the countershaft 6|. The inner end of the shaft 69 projects from the outer face of the beam 40 and is provided with a suitable key 12 for mounting the sprocket 66. Thus when it becomes necessary to reverse movement of the machine along the track the sprocket 66 may be removed from the shaft 6| and applied to the shaft 69.

In order to prevent longitudinal and transverse movement of the base frames on the transverse beams 25 and 26, the lower faces of the inner beams 4|] carry angle clips 13 and 14 for engaging the opposite side edges of the upper flanges 36 as best shown in Fig. 4.

The I-beams 25 and 26 carry similar angle clips 15 and 16 which are fixed thereto and have flanges 11 and 18 for engaging the respective outer and inner sides of the beams 40 and 4| as shown in Fig. 5. It is thus apparent that the base frame units are prevented from shifting relatively to the transverse beams so that the driving units are retained in parallel relation with the rails 3 and 4 so that the weights 48 and 49 are suspendingly supported directly over the line of ties to be driven as later described.

Owing to the extreme width of the machine and because of the narrowness of the cuts, it is necessary to provide for shifting the respective driving units to the respective sides of the track when it becomes necessary to clear the track. This is accomplished by means of dollies I9, 80, 8| and 82, each including a beam 83 having roller supporting brackets 84 and 85 secured to their respective ends and which carry spaced wheels 31 and 83 as best shown in Fig. 8. The wheels 81 and 88 operate upon track members 89, 90, 9| and 92, that are positioned along the sides of the track with their inner ends resting upon the ties I, while their outer ends are supported on suitable trestling 93 and 94 that is assembled by extra ties that have been placed along the track to be used for the ties 5 and 6. The rail members 89, 90, 9I and 92 are preferably I-beams having their upper and lower flanges 95 and 96 connected at their outer edges by reinforcing plates 9'! and 98. Fixed to the upper fianges 95 midway of the width thereof are cleats 99 which engage between the spaced sets of dolly rollers 81 and 89 to form a track whereby the dollies are retained for movement along the track members.

In order to raise the base frames so that the angle clips I! and 19 will clear the bottom edges of the beams 19 and H the respective ends of the beams are provided with pairs of jack screws I00 and IN. The jack screws are rotatably mounted in suitable threaded sockets I92 carried by the beams and have their lower ends arranged to engage the respective dollies. The upper ends of the jack screws are provided with suitable handles I93 whereby the screws may be rotated to bring them in engagement with the dollies and to effect elevation of the base frames thereon.

In using a pile or tie driving equipment constructed and assembled as described, the truck I0 is driven along the track under the power of the driving unit 5'! to bring it into position for driving the piles or ties 5 and 6. An operator will be located in front of each of the pile or tie driving mechanisms to place the piles or ties 5 and B and support them in perpendicular position for engagement by the weights 48 and 49. An operator will also be located on each of the driving units to control operation of the hoisting drums 56 and 51 to cause raising of the weights and dropping thereof onto the piles or ties, to effect penetration thereof into the road bed 2.

After the first set of piles or ties has been driven so that the upper ends thereof are driven to a point below the bed face of the track ties I, the machine is advanced to position for driving the next pair of piles or ties, and so on down the track.

When it becomes necessary to clear the rails to allow passage of a train the operators thereof are advised sufiiciently in advance, to construct the necessary trestling 93 and 94 for retaining the track beams 8999 and 9I92 in horizontal position at such a point along the track that the pile or tie driving operations will be complete to that point just prior to the arrival time of the train.

When the machine reaches the point of placing the dolly track members, the dollies are placed thereon and moved under the pairs of jack screws I00 and IOI. The jack screws are then operated to bring the lower ends thereof into engagement with the dolly beams 83 whereupon the jack screws are simultaneously actuated to cause raising of the base frames from support on the transverse beams 25 and '26.

As soon as the lower edges of the base frames are clear the angle clips 11 and I8, the respective tie driving units SI and 32 are moved laterally away from the track as shown in Fig. 3. However, just before the driving unit 32 is shifted, the sprocket 61 is removed from the axle I2 to free the chain 68 which is carried with the sprocket 66. The transverse beams 25 and 26 are then lifted from the truck sills I5 and I6 and placed across the dolly tracks 89, 90, 9|, and 92 as shown in Fig. 3. The truck sills I5 and I9 are then removed from the ends and axles II and I2, after which the axles including the trucks wheels are removed from the rails. The track is then cleared to permit ample clearance for the passage of a train as shown in Fig. 3.

After the train has passed, the axles II and I2 carrying the flanged wheels are then replaced on the track and connected by the truck sills I5 and I6. The transverse beams are then reappliedto the ends of the truck sills after which the driving units may be moved back into posi-.

tion so that the base frames thereof may be lowered into seating engagement on the respective beams 25 and 26.

The jack screws are then simultaneously operated to lower the base frames onto the transverse beams whereupon the dolly tra'cks and dollies may be removed and relocated farther down the track at a point which will be reached by the driving units just prior 'to the time of arrival of the following train.

When it becomes necessary to reverse movement of the machine the sprocket 66 may be removed from the shaft 6!. and applied to the shaft 69, then upon operation of the shaft '6I the reversing gears I9 and II will cause reverse movement of the shaft 69 to effect movement of the machine in the opposite direction along the track, therefore if the tie driving machine has not reached the point at which the dolly tracks have been stationed the machine may be moved to that point to allow passage of the train and then the machine may be returned to the place where it left off driving operations.

From the foregoing it is apparent that I have provided a simple driving machine which may be readily disassembled to permit passage of a train anywhere along the length of the track on which the machine is operated.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: I

1. In a machine of the character described, a pair of pile driving units, a truck, means for supporting the pile driving units from the sides of the truck whereby one of the units balances the other, and means for propelling the truck from one of said units.

2. In combination with a track, a pile driving machine including a truck operable on the track, a pair of pile driving units, beams mounted on the truck and having ends projecting over the track for mounting the pile driving units, and means for raising the pile driving units from support by said beams including a movable supporting means for moving said units away from said track.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, a truck including spaced axles, wheels supporting the axles, truck sill members removably carried by the axles, transverse beam members extending transversely of said sill member,

means on one of the members and engaging the other to prevent movement of the beam members on the sill members, base frames carried on the beam members, means engaged with the beam members and said base frames for preventing movement of the base frames upon the beam members, and means for raising the base frames from support on the beam members.

4. In an apparatus of the character described,

a truck including spaced axles, wheels supporting the axles, truck sill members removably carried by the axles, transverse beam, members extending transversely of said sill members, means on one of the members and engaging the other to prevent movement of the beam members on the sill members, base frames carried on the beam members, means engaged with the beam members and said base frames for preventing movement of the base-frames upon the beam members, and means for raising the base frames from support on the beam members including movable supporting means for moving the base frames off said beam members.

' 5. In an apparatus of the character described, a truck including spaced axles, wheels supporting the axles, truck sill members removably carried by the axles, transverse beam members extending transversely of said sill members, angle clips on one of the members and engaging the 7 other to prevent movement of the beam members on the sill members, base frames carried on the beam members, angle clips on the beam members and engaging said base frames for preventing lateral movement of the base frames upon the beam members, and means for raising the base frames from support on the beam members including movable supporting means for moving the base frames off said beam members.

6. In combination with a track, a pile driving machine including a pair of pile driving units, transport means for supporting the pile driving units on the track, means for raising said units from said transporting means, dolly track members extending laterally from the respective sides of the track, and dollies on the track members and engageable by said raising means for moving said units laterally away from said supporting means to clear the track which carries the transporting means.

7. An apparatus of the character described in combination with a track, a truck mounted on said track, a pair of pile driving units, removable means carried by the truck for supporting said driving units from the sides of the truck whereby one of said units balances the other, and movable supports for spreading said units to clear the track.

8. An apparatus of the character described in combination with a track, a truck mounted on tending transversely across the truck and having ends projecting from sides of the truck, base frames carried on the projecting ends of the beams, means for preventing shifting of the beams on the truck when the base frames are supported on the beams, pile driving units carried on the base frames, means engaging with the base frames and the beams for preventing movement of the base frames on the beams, means for raising the base frames from support on the beam members, and movable supporting means for moving the base frames and the pile driving units carried thereby off of the supporting ends of the beams and laterally of the respective sides of the track.

10. Apparatus for driving piles along the sides of a railroad track including a truck movably supported on the rails of the track and having side sill members, beam members extending transversely across said sill members and having ends projecting from the sides of the truck, angle clips on one of the members and engaging the other to prevent movement of the beam members on the sill members, base frames carried on the projecting ends of the beam members, pile driving units carried by the base frames, angle clips on the beam members engaging the base frames for preventing lateral movement of the base frames on the beam members, means for raising the base frames from support on the beam members, and movable supporting means for moving the base frames including the pile driving units carried by the base frames off said beam members and laterally of the respective sides of the track.

11. Apparatus of the character described in combination with a track, a truck mounted on the track, a pair of pile driving units, means for supporting said driving units over opposite sides of the track, means for raising and lowering said units to and from support by said supporting means, dolly track members extending laterally from the respective sides of the track, and dollies on the track members for moving said units laterally from the supporting means to clear the track when said pile driving units are raised from said supporting means.

MARVYN JONES. 

